Everyone who looks at a woman with lust

14 JUNE (Mt 5,27-32)

Satan is so cunning in the temptation as to show us beautiful what is ugly, true what is false, full of quality that is insignificant, necessary what is useless, well what is evil and source of life for us what is simply deadly poison.

Eva had never noticed that the fruits of the tree of good and evil were attractive. All it needed was a word of Satan so that desire and taste for the fruits of that tree of death and not of life crept into her heart. The narration of the first temptation is simply superb. It leave the mind without breath.

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the Lord God had made. The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'” But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves (Gen 3,1-7).

St. Paul knows that Satan knows where the weak point of man is: thought. He creeps into it and is able to modify, change and direct it instead of towards good, towards evil; he does not guide it to what is right, but towards what is wrong and sin. For this reason he invites the disciples of the Lord to be especially mindful so that their thoughts are not upset, altered, led astray from the straight path of truth and justice.

If only you would put up with a little foolishness from me! Please put up with me. For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God, since I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts may be corrupted from a sincere (and pure) commitment to Christ. For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it well enough. For I think that I am not in any way inferior to these “superapostles.” Even if I am untrained in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; in every way we have made this plain to you in all things (2Cor 11,1-6).

Jesus wants evil to be overcome right in desires, thoughts, at its root or source. It begins with the custody of the eyes and other senses. If the eye is not holily guarded, protected, chastened, all evil might enter the heart from its door and so it is true of the other senses, especially from the hearing. Who keeps his senses, keeps thoughts and desires. On the contrary, who gives free rein to his senses, he will certainly stray behind the thoughts and sinful solicitations of Satan.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.’ But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Can we prevent evil to penetrate our hearts. It is sufficient to keep him away from our senses. Today this has become a Herculean task. There are no more barriers, embankments. One lives without temperance, sobriety, prudence, caution and vigilance.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints teach us the holy virtues.